Spare Tire Carrier Spring Lift

[booster]

Originally Posted by RT.SS

The new 2014 RT's has new cable assist spare tire lift maybe similar to the EZlift, it is hard to see the cable and the lift mechanism by just watching the low res youtube video. It also has an interesting latching mechanism which I have no idea how it works. Here is the youtube video (skip to 11:16):

[youtube:2kp8eggz]21EddNySvCI[/youtube:2kp8eggz]

The latch looks to be a simple piece that drops down to wedge in between the support and upright. He lifted it up to release it, it appeared. They have been making that style for quite a while, and there were some comments on the Yahoo board about how hard it is to release the latch while lifting the tire with one hand. It does look like that could be an issue for small people. That said, a latch of some sort is definitely needed to prevent hazards if the wheel is taken off the carrier.

[RT.SS]

Thanks booster. It also appears that it latches on and locked (?) the tire carrier in place when pushed back to its vertical position.

[John10ey]

Somewhere I saw that a person had attached a round piece of plywood to the back of the spare tire. When the holder was released and let down (like you were going to remove the spare), it stopped horizontally and became a table. I thought that was a neat idea for my newly acquired 2012 Roadtrek Popular 190, but when I released the pin the tire swung completely down, past the horizontal point. I then had some difficulty getting it back up, not related to the weight but to how the 'hinge' parts worked.

Q: should the spare stop at a horizontal level or did the original hackers do something special to make it that way.

Where are the spare tire holders that attach to the hinge available? It would be nice to open that left-hand door.

[Bhs]

What are the length of the springs and size that marcopolo used for his modified Roadtrek tire carrier lift? Thanks

[markopolo]

I used RV awning tie-down springs like these: https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Awnin...-p/25-8513.htm

7" overall length and 1" diameter.

I've use those same springs on a shade sail over my deck for 3 summers now and they hold up well to the elements.

[Bhs]

Thanks for the spring info. Most helpful